A variety of training apparatuses and instructional equipment been developed for mechanical and electrical systems. Many of these training apparatuses involve the use of equipment which can be used for testing circuits, for example, or educating the student in basic electrical wiring.
Ackerman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,720 has developed a maintenance training device which allows students to learn hands-on maintenance and training of electronic systems using simulated components.
Schager, U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,318 presents an apparatus for simulating the operation of an electrical power plant. The equipment used in the Schager invention shows the student actual components of a generating plant so as to be able to follow the sequence of operation of the system.
The majority of the training systems do not permit the student to experience working with a basic electro-mechanical system which may be modified to provide a more complex system that may be encountered at a job site.
Apparatuses, such as that of the Schager patent, utilize large pieces of equipment which are fixed in position and may not be modified to represent different electro-mechanical systems.
Other teaching and testing devices have been developed such as that of Gudelis et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,253; Wahl et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,768; and Hill et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,593.
This latter patent of Hill's is used for the construction as well as testing of electrical circuits.
Within the electrical and mechanical systems fields, there has remained a need to provide a portable training system which would allow the students to interchangeably costruct and troubleshoot an actual control system which could be done in a classroom setting.
Another important need of teaching electrical and mechanical control systems is having the means to teach students at all levels by using a system which incorporates interchangeable components whereby a simple electro-mechanical system may be developed as a foundation for beginning students. That same system should be adaptable to increase the complexity and vary the capabilities of the system for more advanced students.
The present invention serves to meet these needs by establishing a modular training system which provides students at all levels with the ability to experience hands on training of an actual working control system as might be encountered on a job site.